Her Biggest Fan
by Rex Madison
Summary: Twenty years ago, Athena received a letter from a fan that inspired her to perform. Today she gets another life-changing letter...but this one's a little bit different. (Followup to Power; same continuity as The Deal. Rated PG-13.)


Notes

Hey, everybody, I'm back! ...and with _such_ a fun fic for you, lol.

So some of you may remember that a while back, I had an idea for a story. What if the world realized how powerful these fighters really are? ...cause let's face it, these people are _ridiculous_. You need proof, just look at their NeoMax moves from XIII. Kyo could easily burn down a building. Benimaru shoots lightning; Joe shoots _tornadoes_. Never mind that they could kill people - what kind of _good_ could they do? Benimaru could probably run his own power plant, and Joe could easily power a wind farm.

I didn't write that story, because all that was too big in scope and I didn't know how to end it. But I saw those notes again recently, and realized I didn't _need_ all that. I could tell the same story with nothing but my go-to, Athena. And once I simplified it to that, I knew _exactly_ how it should end.

This story is unlike anything I've ever written before. It is _not_ for the faint of heart, in a completely different way from Power. (It still has the happy ending, of course. It's _Rex_ here.) I've never liked trigger warnings, because they spoil the plot...but if you _ever_ need trigger warnings, you're gonna want them for this. So here's my compromise: if you're nervous, go to a Base64 decoding website - base64decode. org works - and translate these codes: Q2FuY2Vy and RGVhdGg .

Everybody back? ...alright, then. Buckle up...

* * *

Her Biggest Fan

"Hello?"

"Ahh, yes, Miss Asamiya? This is the front desk. The postal service has a package for you; are you able to receive it?"

*sigh* "Yeah, I'm free. Send it on up."

"Thank you, miss." *click*

She sighed again as she put down her phone, having to force herself not to start pacing. It didn't have to mean the worst; the woman at the desk said "postal service", not a carrier she knew. But that woman had just started working reception this month. She wasn't familiar with _any_ routine deliveries yet, much less once-a-month setups like this one.

And it was about that time of the month.

The doorbell rang. Her heart jumped into her throat. It fell back and hammered in her chest as she strode to the door, working up the courage to open it. She briefly considered looking through the peephole - then shook her head and reached for the knob, facing her fear head-on.

Holding her breath, she flung the door open wide...

...and found a man trembling in front of her, struggling to hold an overstuffed bag at least as big as his torso.

The instant he could, he rushed forward, dropped the bag in her hall, and groaned in relief. "Whew‼ Big one this month, Miss Asamiya!"

"Sure looks that way," she agreed, giving him a wan smile.

She signed the delivery form reluctantly, wishing she could refuse. Once he had it, the man said goodbye to her and left, looking happy to have the job done. She, meanwhile, looked at the bag and sighed once more, her own work just beginning.

Athena Asamiya hated fan mail.

It was a hideous thought, of course. She hated _herself_ just for thinking it. But after years and years of doing this, years and years of reading _all_ of it and responding to each letter _by hand_ , she'd come to consider it her biggest chore as an idol. Hell, maybe her biggest chore _period_.

She had read it all, by now - so much it had fallen into patterns. There were the idol fans: "you're so pretty!", "you're so talented!", "you have _such_ a wonderful voice‼". There were the fighter fans: "you're so cool!", "you're so powerful!", "I _know_ you'll win one eventually‼". There were fans of her in general - her _biggest_ fan, they all claimed, following up with a list of everything that made it true. All wonderful compliments, all relentlessly uplifting...and all all but meaningless at this point.

Then there were the bad ones. The creepy ones...the ones that needed watching. "I love you!", they'd say. "I'm _in_ love with you!" "Marry me!" "Have my babies!" "Make me your sex slave‼" Once upon a time, she'd considered those compliments too, in their own wicked way. Now they meant almost as little to her; she simply thanked the author, gently rejected their advances, and assured them she _knew_ they'd find someone eventually. Then she'd toss the letter in the trash and try not to look at it again, lest she start thinking that maybe Orochi had a point.

There _were_ still some unique ones, once in a while.  
But in a way, they were the worst of all...because she didn't know what to say anymore.

Groaning in annoyance, then exertion, Athena took hold of the bag and dragged it to her desk. _No time like the present_ , she figured; she was free anyway, and she'd never feel better about this. From there she untied the bag, took out some paper and probably her thousandth pen, and started going through the letters, one by one by one by one.

An hour passed.

She was beginning to regret this decision (but then, when _didn't_ she anymore). So far all but one of the letters had fallen into one of her patterns. Even the unique one was really just uniquely bad: a single line of kanji that read " _I would kill God for you._ " She tried to respond for a moment, then shook her head and put it back for later, pushing it as far down into the bag as it would go.

Then, about fifteen minutes afterwards, both the routine and her life changed.

The next envelope had terrible penmanship, clearly written by a child. That at least made her smile a bit; she _did_ still like answering the kiddos. She took out the letter to find a page-long treatise, all written in that beautiful, horrible script.

* * *

Dear Asamiya- _sama_.

I hope you have been doing well.

My name is Nozomi Watanabe. I am eight years old and I go to KAIS Elementary and I'm your biggest fan. I have all your albums and your concert movies and I know all your songs lyrics. You sing really good. I like to listen to you when I can't sleep because it makes me smile. My favorite song of yours is "Banged-Up Blue Moon."

Yesterday my mommy told me you fight people too. She showed me tapes of you fighting to inspire me. You fight really good too. I like all the pretty lights you make. But it seems like most of the time they hurt people. I wish you wouldn't do that because that's not nice. Mommy said it's a conpetition so it's okay, but you did other stuff there too and I like it more when you do that.

One thing I saw you do was heal someone. You jumped next to him and started glowing and then his cut stopped bleeding. Mommy said you were healing him because he was on your team. Can you heal people off your team? Ive been sick with something called cancer lately and it feels pretty lousy. Mom wanted to inspire me because she thinks I'm getting worse. She didn't tell me that though, I heard her from the other room.

I'd really like it if you could come to the hospital and heal me too. Mom said I shouldn't ask you because you're busy and it wouldn't work. But you seem really strong to me and I know you're a good person. Even if it didn't work I'd still like to get to know you.

Kindly look after this matter for me. (And please do it soon because it hurts.)

Sincerely, Nozomi

* * *

She would later have that letter framed, tearstains and all.

As Athena wept, she thought about everything she'd done - and _hadn't_ done - since her healing power emerged. It had started off almost as a lark - a nifty little trick she did as a Striker, to close a teammate's wound or take the edge off the pain. But as she'd grown, so had her power. She'd gotten better at it. Stronger, faster. She'd learned how to do it to herself. She'd done it in training constantly, _casually_ , so she and her teammates could work harder. By now she could bring practically bring people back from the dead, reducing even life-threatening injuries to serious ones.

So why, _why_ for the _love of god_ , had she never thought of using it for something _important_ ⁇

* * *

About half an hour later, Sie Kensou's phone rang.

When he saw the caller was Athena, his eyes went wide. She was still in Japan on business right now; _he_ was back in China. They'd never made overseas calls a habit before - except in emergencies. Thinking that's what this was, he quickly put the phone to his ear and blurted, "Athena, what's wrong?"

"...oh, Sie..."

"What's going on? Are you okay⁇"

"...I am such an _idiot_...!"

"Why⁇ What happened⁇ Calm down and tell me what happened."

"...the l-letters c-came in today."

"Huh? ...oh, right, it's fan-mail time." That had been hard for her for years, though he still didn't really know why. ( _He_ certainly wouldn't mind getting a bagful of compliments every month.) "Did someone threaten you?"

" _Yes._ ...no...no, n-not like that."

"Then what - "

"A little girl w-wrote to me. An eight-year-old girl. She told me she l-loves me, l-loves my music, l-l-likes to see me f-fight. And then she told me she has _cancer._ "

Silence.

"...uhm. _Wow._ Holy...okay, so what, she wants to meet you, or - "

"Oh, she wants a lot more than _that_ , Sie. ...she wants me to _heal her_."

Kensou's heart fell into his stomach.

"... _heal_ her? Are you serious? How could she ask that of you...?"

"Because she _doesn't know_ , Sie. She doesn't know that I can't do it. ...and you know what? Neither do I."

"Athena..."

"I don't _know_ if my powers could heal something like that. I've never tried, because I'm an idiot. But what if they can⁇ What if they can't now, but I could work on them, make them strong enough to do it⁇ What if _I_ am the _cure for cancer_ and I've _never even thought about it._ "

"Just calm down, okay? You're overreacting here," Kensou soothed. "I know you're special - more than anyone - but you're not _magic_."

"Oh, _no_ , Sie. I'm not magic. I just shoot fireballs and teleport and use force fields, that's all."

"But you're not _that_ magic‼" he said desperately. "Your healing isn't strong enough to change the world, and you shouldn't try to make it be!"

"Why the hell not⁇"

"Because you'll never stop, Athena. You won't be _able_ to stop. If word gets out you're going around healing people, _everyone_ will want you to do it. You'll spend your whole life traveling the world, helping people one by one, not doing anything for the world as a whole. And when you're not doing that, you'll be trying to get _better_ at it, using up all your time and energy chasing some miracle cure. You'll run yourself ragged. You'll _kill_ yourself. And I don't want to see that happen!"

Silence.

"Sie...have you...have you thought about this before?"

 _...uh oh._

"Well...I mean, not _exactly_. I just - I thought about what you were saying just now, and I - "

"You did _not_ come up with all that spontaneously. ...you're not _smart_ enough for that."

"No, really! I am!" Sie lied through his teeth. "I know how you can get about these things! Sometimes you get caught up in the details, so you don't look at the big picture!"

"The big picture⁇ ...oh my god, Master Chin talked to you about this‼"

"Athena - "

"'The world as a whole, the world as a whole!' That's all that's important to that man - this big idea that we'll have to _fight_ to save the world! Well there are _other_ ways to save the world, Sie. I've been doing it for years...but I could've done so much more...!"

"Do _not_ go down this road, Athena! You'll ruin your life‼"

"Ruin my life⁇ _By curing cancer!?_ ...you know what, Sie? We're done. Don't ever call me again. Not unless I call you."

" _Athena‼_ "

*click*

Not grieving for even a second, Kensou frantically called up the airport. He booked a one-way ticket to Osaka as fast as he could, maxing out a credit card to get there ASAP. On his way to the flight, he called up all of his contacts in Japan, just in case one of them could get to her before he could.

Those last words had stung him badly, make no mistake.  
But it was nothing compared to how much she was about to sting herself.

* * *

Later that night, Rumi Watanabe sat slumped in a hospital room downtown, keeping up her vigil over her bedridden daughter. Both of them were awake, though neither wanted to be; both of them had eyes glazed with tears, though for very different reasons. Nozomi was in a special kind of hell, feeling pain throughout her body but too exhausted to complain about it. Rumi simply knew her daughter was in a special kind of hell...and that nothing could be done about it.

Things had taken a turn since Nozomi had sent out her letter. The chemotherapy had taken a serious toll on her body, leaving her much weaker than the cancer itself. But despite the treatments, it had continued to spread, reaching her lymph nodes and beyond. Eventually the doctors had told Rumi the chances of survival were so low, they didn't justify the pain of therapy. Now they had stopped all treatment, making her as comfortable as possible as she waited to die.

So it made sense that, when the door opened, Nozomi just slowly turned her head - and Rumi jumped about a foot in the air.

"Miss Watanabe?" a nurse called out to her. "May I see you for a moment?"

Rumi looked at her daughter, then back at the nurse. "A short one," she said in clipped tones.

Reluctantly she left her, walking with the nurse down the hall. As they walked the man explained that Nozomi had a visitor. Of course visiting hours were long over, but in this case they'd made an exception. Rumi thanked him without thinking, privately wondering who the hell would come visiting them now.

And then she saw her, and she went white as a sheet.

None other than Athena Asamiya stood in front of the nurse's station. She'd used nothing but a thick, black shawl for a disguise, which she now wore around her neck. She wore a simple, casual outfit, a light blue blouse over a dark blue skirt. But her rapid breathing, twitchy glances and distraught face showed that "casual" was _not_ on the menu.

"Oh, god," Rumi breathed. She thought of running away - but Athena had heard her, turning towards the disturbance. Her face softened immediately, becoming a smile so friendly and warm no one would've ever guessed it was forced. She walked over to Rumi and gave her a dignified bow, keeping up the pleasantries even in times like these.

"Miss Watanabe, I presume?" she said softly.

"She sent the letter, didn't she?" Rumi muttered. "She really asked for you. I _told_ her not to ask for you...!"

"It's okay, Rumi," said Athena, her smile widening a bit. "I'm happy to do it. That letter meant a lot to me."

"Oh, thank goodness," Rumi sighed, bowing her head. "Does this mean you - " Then she blinked a bit, and turned towards the nurse. "Could you excuse us, please?"

"Of course." The nurse scurried away.

Back to Athena, and under her breath, "How did you even _find_ us...?"

"Your daughter mentioned KAIS Elementary," Athena replied. "I looked it up and found it here in Tokyo. On my way here I called every nearby hospital, asking for Nozomi Watanabe. This was the seventh one."

"Goodness," Rumi murmured. "So...does this mean you can actually heal her?"

"I don't know," Athena replied, her face turning grim. "My healing's gotten stronger since those old tapes, but I've still only used it on injuries. I have no idea if it can help something like this. ...I've never done it before."

"Then please, don't do it now," Rumi told her. "I don't want you to hurt yourself trying to heal my daughter. I have accepted her death."

"No mother could truly accept that," Athena denied, shaking her head. "There is a _chance_ I could hurt myself...but I have to try."

Rumi winced, a few tears beginning to spill. "...but...if you do this, and it doesn't work...I don't know if I could bear it..."

Athena responded by taking her hands in her own.

" _Please_ , Miss Watanabe," she begged, her eyes a bit manic. "...it's _very important_ for me that I try."

Rumi stared at her a moment...looked down...and nodded. "All right," she whispered, the tears spilling in earnest.

They walked back to Nozomi's room silently, hand in hand. When they got there, Rumi went in first, so as not to give the girl a heart attack. She approached her daughter quietly, breathing a sigh of relief as she turned her head. "You have a visitor," she told her...and then stepped back, as Athena stepped into the room.

Nozomi's face lit up; she smiled for the first time in days. "You came...you really came..." she struggled out.

"Hello, Nozomi," said Athena, with a gentle smile. She didn't quite _burst_ into tears when she saw her, but they quickly started streaming down her cheeks. "Not feeling so hot, huh...?"

"Nuh-uh," said Nozomi, shaking her head just a bit. "I don't think I could write that letter now..."

"Well, you only needed to once," Athena assured as she sat down next to her. "Thank you for sending it to me."

"Thank you for coming," Nozomi replied, giving her a tiny bow from the neck.

Blinking, Athena took Nozomi's hand. "You were really smart to think I might be able to heal you. No one else has ever thought of that. But that means I've never done this before. So I don't know if it'll work, alright?"

"That's okay. I'll still be happy I got to know you."

Athena's smile grew wider as her eyes narrowed, leaking tears faster than before. "Oh, Nozomi..." she breathed, reaching down to stroke her head where her bangs should've been. "Such a brave, brave girl..."

Nozomi frowned at that one, though. "Everybody keeps telling me that," she grumbled. "It doesn't help. I'm not brave. I'm just stuck here."

"Yes...yes, I suppose you are," Athena admitted, wiping her eyes. "Well let's see if we can fix that, huh?"

"Okay," said Nozomi, nodding as much as she could. "I'm ready."

"Okay," echoed Athena, nodding back. She took Nozomi's hand in her own, as Rumi's flew up to her mouth. She closed her eyes...centered herself...and let her powers fly.

* * *

Coldness.

Darkness.

Desolation.

Despair.

Athena could feel it all around her as she analyzed Nozomi. She'd felt such emotions before - but only in peoples' auras, not through their entire bodies. All she'd ever had to contend with while healing someone was panic. Already, things were totally different now...but that didn't mean that they were lost.

Slowly, Athena sent her healing energies into Nozomi's body. She knew what injuries felt like - and indeed, there were quite a few. Organ decay; several ruptures; a nagging bedsore. But while she could sense the _damage_ , she couldn't sense the _impurity_. She'd never been able to do it with infections, either...but she'd figured cancer might be a _little_ bit easier to detect.

It wasn't. The diseased cells stubbornly stayed off her radar, not even appearing as some kind of block. When she finally found them, she did it by _not_ finding them: she felt some healthy tissue suddenly cut out halfway, replaced by nothingness. Her heart racing, she threw her energy at it - but it didn't respond. Frowning, she tried healing the tissue's cutoff point instead...and _there_ was the block, an impenetrable wall that prevented any sort of recovery.

That could've been the end of it. She'd clearly found it, clearly couldn't make it budge. But she hadn't _expected_ to find it at all; there had to be _something_ she could do. So she gathered her resources, focusing all her energy onto that one little spot. When that didn't work, she focused on a littler spot; when that didn't work, she simply added more.

The psychic _poured_ her power into her, more and more of it, sending out everything she could. But it wasn't enough. She had to have more. She could feel sweat forming on her brow now, but she ignored it; instead she focused harder than ever before, searching inside herself to find more energy, more _strength_.

Then, a breakthrough. Her _other_ psychic energy suddenly started to melt, converting itself to the healing energy she craved. Greedily she snatched it, threw it at Nozomi, and went back for more. Athena _ravaged_ herself, pouring her heart and soul into the girl, forgetting everything else in what had become a _battle_ she _would not lose_. Distantly she heard the others screaming, saw her eyelids getting overwhelmed by a brilliant white light...but she ignored that too. It still wasn't enough. She still had to have more.

More.

 _More._

 ** _More._**

 ** _MO -_**

* * *

The next thing she knew, she was in a hospital bed of her own.

Athena woke up slowly, blinking and squinting at a _natural_ (well, flourescent) light. She felt a bit dizzy, a little bit weak all over - but mostly she had a _splitting_ headache. Groaning, she put her hand on her forehead, trying to _press_ the pain away. Her healing energies could fix headaches sometimes...but surprise, surprise, she was out. She was nearly out of energy period.

A few seconds later, a nurse walked by and noticed her, her eyes flying open. "Doctor! Doctor, she's awake!" she shouted, beckoning someone. Then she raced into the room and started checking Athena's vitals. "Are you alright⁇"

"What happened...?" she asked dimly.

"You were in Nozomi Watanabe's room. Nurses came running when they heard screams and saw a bright light. By the time they got there, the light and sound were gone and you were unconscious. They picked you up, took you in for a CAT scan, and brought you back here to recover."

"Oh my god," Athena whispered...and then her _own_ eyes went wide. "Nozomi! Rumi‼ Are they okay!?"

"They're both fine, yes," said a new voice, a man walking into the room. Athena quickly decided he was the doctor; the white coat and scrubs kinda gave him away. "Well, fine as can be, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Alright, Yuko," the doctor said instead of answering, looking at the nurse. He had a thick Osakan accent, so thick it was like he was laying it on. "Everything check out here?"

"Yes, doctor. You want to talk to her privately, right?" He nodded; she left.

"What do you mean, 'fine as can be'? What happened⁇"

"Well, Miss Watanabe was pretty shaken up, as you can imagine," he explained. "But it's been a few hours, and she seems to be alright now. As for Nozomi, she's actually doing a bit better."

Athena's face lit up.

"You managed to heal her bedsore."

Athena's face fell.

"I'm Dr. Hiroshi," he introduced himself. "I've been assigned to your case. And I take it you're _the_ Athena Asamiya?"

She bristled a bit at the contempt, but nodded.

"Then I'm guessing those rumors you can heal peoples' wounds are true," he went on. "I'm also guessing you tried to use that to treat Nozomi's cancer. I'm _also_ guessing you've never done that before, and the attempt made you pass out."

"All good guesses," Athena muttered bitterly. Then she swallowed. "It didn't work, did it...?"

"...no. No, I'm afraid not."

She closed her eyes.

"Yes, it's a pity," the doctor agreed, not sounding sarcastic for once. "It was a noble experiment. ...and it could've been a miracle."

She nodded again, beginning to tear up.

"Keep in mind, however, that it was also _highly_ illegal," he said coldly. "Not many of us figured out what happened in there. If the wrong person had, you'd likely be going into custody. Next time you try a stunt like this, go through the proper channels first."

"I understand," she told him quietly. There wouldn't be a next time.

"We're still waiting for your CAT scan results, but somehow I doubt it'll detect any damage. Once they come in, we'll discharge you as soon as you're capable of leaving."

"And Nozomi?"

"Like I said, no change," he reminded her, looking annoyed. "Aside from the bedsore, of course. She could still pass at any time."

"...can I see her?"

He stared at her for a moment.

"It's possible," he said cautiously. "I'll let the nurses know you're interested. If they can do it they'll come get you, and wheel you into the room if necessary."

"Okay. Thank you, doctor. ...thank you _so_ much."

Dr. Hiroshi gave her a single, terse nod. Without another word, he started to leave the room...but then he stopped at the door.

"Miss Asamiya, healing wounds is _still_ a miracle. I don't know how powerful you are, but I imagine you could still save lives. ...we're always looking for help down at the ER, you know."

"I know," she told him quietly.

He stood there a second longer, then opened the door and stepped out, leaving her to her thoughts.

* * *

The next time Nozomi's door opened, Rumi didn't even budge.

Neither did Nozomi. Her eyes didn't open, either; they hadn't opened for a while. She was still breathing, but barely; she made light groans instead of talking. Both of them knew it wouldn't be long now.

"You have a visitor," the nurse announced from the door.

"Send them in," Rumi whispered. "Please. Anyone."

She changed her tune a bit, however, when Athena came into the room.

She was _brought_ in, actually, in a wheelchair; she looked too woozy to walk. ( _Good,_ Rumi thought in a flash of rage.) The young woman smiled sadly at Nozomi...but when she turned to Rumi's scowl, her happiness drained away in an instant.

"I'm sorry," said Athena at once. "I am so, so sorry."

"It's alright. ...but I told you. I _told_ you this would break me."

"I didn't want to break you," Athena whispered. "But I _had_ to know. ...I was so _selfish_. If there's anything I can do...please..."

"There is _nothing_ you can - "

"You came back."

They whipped their heads towards Nozomi, who had opened her eyes. She was staring at Athena and smiling, for the first time since she'd left her. "You came back...even though...it didn't work."

"Of course I did," said Athena, her smile natural and warm. Nozomi started to reach out to her - and she wheeled there in a flash, touching her arm. "Don't strain yourself."

"It's alright. The pain is...starting to go away."

"Oh god," Athena whispered, her tears immediately streaming. She picked up Nozomi's hand and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Nozomi. I'm _so_ sorry I couldn't help you."

"That's okay. I'm just glad...I got to know you."

Athena smiled again through her tears. "Well, you haven't, really. ...yet."

And so she told her. She told her all about herself, for as long as she could. She told her about her childhood, when she learned to sing, and how she learned about her powers. She told her her parents had abandoned her, and that she'd come to forgive them. She told her a bad man tried to take her away once - but she'd stopped him, and that's when she learned she could fight. She began to tell her about her tournaments, and Nozomi's eyes closed; Rumi took her other hand and wept, but Athena kept right on talking. She told her she first entered in '94, and lost badly. She told her she did better next time, and people started to take notice. She told her she nearly quit anyway - but a letter, just like Nozomi's, inspired her to perform. She told her they fought off a _really_ bad man named Orochi. She told her the tournament was cancelled next year, so she became an idol. She told her she fought against an evil company, nearly died until Sie saved her. She told her about the Zero Cannon. Igniz. A white-haired man she barely remembered. And when Nozomi finally stopped breathing, Athena squeezed her hand and cried, just as hard as her mother.

* * *

The next afternoon, she was back in her room, sleeping. The nurse knocked and woke her up, telling her _she_ had a visitor. Confused but still miserable, she agreed to see him without a thought.

She changed her tune a bit, however, when Kensou came into the room.

"Sie?" Athena murmured. "You...you flew back here?"

"Of course I did," said Kensou calmly. He was holding flowers; he started to bring them to her, but stopped. "...I can still go, if you want."

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "Come here...please..."

He did as she asked. He barely had time to put down the flowers before she pulled him to her, kissing him and crying on him at once. Then her lips fell away, and she just cried for several minutes; Sie sat there the whole time, stroking her back, only starting to talk when the sobs died down.

"So I hear you tried it out."

"...yes."

"I guess it didn't work, huh."

"...no."

Kensou sighed. "Oh, Athena. I'm so sorry."

"No, _I'm_ sorry, Sie," she said, looking up at him. "I couldn't save her. Couldn't even begin. And I passed out and nearly got arrested for my trouble. ...you were right, I was a fool."

"No, not me. It's Chin that told me," Sie admitted. "I asked him once if you could heal the sick. He told me why you shouldn't. ...but I should've told _you_ a long time ago, especially when we got together. So I'm sorry, too."

She snorted a bit. " _I'm_ the one who didn't listen. Didn't listen to either of you." Then she looked down, beginning to tear up once more. "...it's true, Sie. I could've ruined my life. I shouldn't try to save the world. I should just keep training and touring. ...stick to what I know."

He sighed again.

"I don't think that's the takeaway here," he told her. "If you want to work on your healing, go for it. But do it on _your_ time, at your own pace. Don't neglect the rest of your life...and for _god's sake_ , keep it quiet. You're damn lucky the world doesn't realize just how strong you are. ...hell, even _I'm_ lucky. Half the KOF circuit is."

That earned him a little chuckle. "Well you're right about that," she agreed, thinking of Kyo. Iori. K' and Kula. K9999.

"You know I've never been that religious," Sie went on. "But I've always thought we had our powers for a _reason_. If that reason was helping people one by one, I think we'd know it by now. I feel like we're meant for something bigger...more universal. ...it may not be curing cancer, but it might be just as important."

"I hope you're right, Sie," said Athena. "I hope you're right."

She leaned into him, finally smiling again. He gathered her into his arms, holding her close when she kissed him and holding her up when she cried.

* * *

End Notes

...so.

Not the happy ending you expected, is it?

Well here's the alternate ending.

Athena saves Nozomi's life. Nozomi's happy; Rumi's ecstatic. Athena feels really good about herself...for about five minutes. Then the nurses come in to check on them, and find out she can cure cancer. She's taken into custody. She's studied like she's always feared. The public doesn't even mind it, because she can _cure cancer_. When they finally let her go - after finding out she can't help them develop their _own_ cure - the public demands she do it herself. She spends her whole life traveling the world, helping people one by one and running herself ragged. Finally she ends it herself, sobbing in a bathroom with the door locked and a shotgun against her mouth. (You can thank another reader for _that_ image. You know who you are.)

Or maybe Athena leaves before the nurses arrive. She feels proud of herself till she gets home...but then she sees the dilemma. If she can cure cancer, isn't that all she _should_ be doing? She decides to save it for special cases at first, thinking she can get away with it. But rumors spread soon enough, and the requests start pouring in. She can refuse this time - and often has to; one woman can't handle all that work. She spends her whole life feeling miserable, overworked or wracked with guilt. Finally she ends it herself, sobbing in a bathroom with the door locked and a shotgun against her mouth. (Unless of course she's _taken into custody_ first.)

...look, I know I'm overthinking the hell out of this. Writers give characters superpowers to make them _cool_ , not to destroy the fabric of their world's society. But when you fanboy a character, a _series_ , for twenty years, you can't help but notice some problems. Some you think about more than others; some inspire you to write things. Some of those things end up being relentlessly depressing stories.

And that's all this is, don't worry. I'm not disillusioned with KOF or Athena again. Sure, they've got their problems...but they're pretty cool, too.

See you next time...!


End file.
